Self-Control, Independent-Interdependent Self-Concepts, and Bullying: A Comparative Study of Japanese Male and Female Adolescents

• In Event: Empirical Tests of Social Learning, Self-Control, and General Strain Theories in International Contexts

Abstract

The current research examines the applicability of self-control theory as an explanation for the expected lower level of self-reported bullying among Japanese female adolescents compared to males. Drawing on the literature on independent and interdependent self-concepts, a rationale is developed for predicting that self-control, the central concept in Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory, will tend to be higher among Japanese female adolescents because parents should be more likely to monitor the daughter’s behavior, recognize deviance when it occurs, and punish such behavior. The higher level of self-control among Japanese female adolescents than males might then account for the lower level of bullying among female adolescents. The analysis provides mixed support for the prediction.

Author

• Emiko Kobayashi, Kakuma